Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi gave credit to the batters after a thumping 40-run win against Peshawar Zalmi at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Sunday. LHQ posted a gargantuan total of 241 runs after Afridi won the toss and decided to bat first.
Mirza Baig was dismissed early but Fakhar Zaman and Shafique added 120 runs for the second wicket. Zaman smashed 96 runs from only 45 balls whereas Shafique went on to score 75 from 41 balls.
Subsequently, the finishing touches were added by Sam Billings, who scored a quickfire knock of 23-ball 47.
On the other hand, Peshawar Zalmi got off to a rotten start as they lost both of their openers – Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam – cheaply. Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Saim Ayub scored respective fifties in the middle order but the rest of the batters failed to contribute in the run-chase.
Shaheen Shah Afridi said in the post-match presentation, “The overall credit goes to the batters as they were confident about going out and batting first on this green wicket. We have depth and variety in our bowling attack. With the arrival of Billings, the middle order has become stronger. All the teams are going good and we can’t take anyone lightly in this tournament. I tried my best and focused on landing the ball on the hard length area and it worked for me.”
Meanwhile, Babar Azam admitted they couldn’t get off to a good start while chasing the big score. PSZ skipper also feels they need to improve their bowling as they conceded a lot of runs.
He said after the game, “The way we started, we did well in the first 3 overs but after that, the batters put us under pressure. We lost it in the first six overs. When you are chasing such a big total, you try to keep the run-rate in check. Saim Ayub batted well, he has been in very good form. We need to improve our bowling. We conceded too many runs. If you do not execute your plans well, the batters will keep giving the charge and cash in. We need to correct our mistakes as soon as possible.”
Fakhar Zaman was awarded the Player of the Match for his fine knock of 96 runs at the top of the order.
He said after the game, “We practiced three days here. We had a discussion that if we didn’t give our wickets away in the powerplay, it would get easier for us to score runs as the ball gets older. We had thought that if we scored 160-170, we could have defended it as we have a really good bowling attack. A lot of credit goes to Shafique as he played an outstanding knock. The batters are enjoying themselves and we have a really good combination which is really helping us.”
